Readers respond to Anderson woman's difficulties in caring for husband, son

Linda Byce, middle, kisses her husband David near her son Trammell, 15, in their apartment in Anderson.

ANDERSON - Overwhelmed and blessed is how Linda Byce feels about the generosity of those who read about her family's dire situation in the Anderson Independent-Mail.

Linda has been caring for her disabled husband, David, who was left with brain damage from a cardiac arrest two years ago and son, Trammell, who was stricken with transverse myelitis a year later. She has been trying to sell their home in Greenville before the first payment is due on their condo in Anderson.

After the article ran in February, donations and offers of help have come not only from Anderson but other parts of South Carolina, Georgia and as far away as Florida.

Kathy Wertherington of Englewood, Fla., sent a donation tucked inside a card after reading the article online. She expressed how touched she was by the Byces' plight. The scenario was repeated with others who sent words of encouragement and made donations.

A card simply signed "Valerie" included a gift card and a note to Linda that said, "I cannot imagine how difficult your struggle is," and in giving a donation "hopes it will lessen your burden."

With the generous donations the family received, they were able to make April's payment on the condo. The Byces' house still has not sold, and Linda is considering leasing it out to cover their housing expenses.

Linda's eyes dance with excitement as she recounts the blessings the Lord has poured out on her family over the past few weeks.

"I just can't get over how much he has blessed us," she says.

Linda leads the way to the guest bathroom where she pulls back the shower curtain to reveal thousands of diapers stacked almost to the ceiling.

"Four thousand diapers," she exclaims. With the help of her sister, Glenda Ballentine, they were able to purchase half of these at a discounted rate and the other half were donated, some through Anderson Interfaith Ministries in response to the article.

Assistance has come in other forms. Terry Galloway, a volunteer with Take One Make One, a South Carolina hunting mentoring program for youth, invited Trammell and his uncle, Jim Ballentine, to hunt with him. Trammell bagged two turkeys his first time out.

Taxidermist Charlie Emery of Pelzer donated his services to mount one of the turkeys and the other one Trammell plans to cook for the family.

Later Galloway referred Trammell to the Outdoor Dream Foundation for a hunting trip, possibly to Wyoming. The family is awaiting a board vote to find out if their application has been approved.

George Perdue of Hartwell, Ga., who also has transverse myelitis, visited the Byce family to offer encouragement. He provided membership to the Transverse Myelitis Association for Trammell.

One of the biggest challenges for Linda is David's care. He requires around-the-clock care and she rarely gets any time away. Anderson Interfaith Ministries Women and Children Succeeding program has been providing a volunteer for a couple of hours each week.

Anderson County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs will be providing a nurse for David's care three hours a day for the next six weeks.

Linda is thrilled with the prospect of having some time to get outside the condo and do some things to help others. In addition to getting Trammell out more, she wants to start a walking group at the condo complex. Her hope is to encourage others who might otherwise be shut in or alone to get out and socialize and improve their health.

Linda's own health has suffered under the family's stress with a recent diagnosis of shingles. Trammell is battling a foot sore caused by his leg braces and has been on antibiotics for a month. Despite these setbacks, the Byce family remains optimistic about their future.

"We are living on miracles," Linda says. "Our life is so overwhelming, but with all these blessings, I am overwhelmed in a good way."